Colours returning to Shafter Feb. 22-24

The Colours Festival will be making a return to Shafter in February, giving the community a taste of the amount of talent here. The event will run Thursday to Sunday, Feb. 22-25, with over a dozen cultural events..

The event will kick off with the traditional Spaghetti Dinner on Thursday, Feb. 22, at the Shafter Veterans Hall. It will be a drive-thru only event, running from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Also on Thursday, the Coffee House Strings event will feature local talent at the Tin Cup from 7 to 9 p.m.

The majority of the events will be centered at the Tin Cup and Ford Theater area.

On Friday, Feb. 23, the Fun Run and Walk will take off from the Shafter Recreation Office on Tulare Avenue. Registration begins at 7 a.m., and the race will begin at 9 a.m.

At the Shafter Depot Museum, the Cans d'Arte Exhibit returnsfrom 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. In this unique display, individuals and groups use canned food and other items to create art works.

The Green Hotel will be open for tours and for perusing from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

At the Tin Cup Stage, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., there will be the Youth Art Workshops. There will be two sessions, one from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and the other from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. This event allows children to connect with that creative side of themselves and make something that they will be able to take home.

The Polymer Keychain Workshop is on the Tin Cup patio from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Author Jennifer Gardiner will be appearing at the Ford Theater from 3 to 4 p.m. for Meet the Author. Gardiner is a children's book writer, including "A Trip Around the Pond."

The Art Gallery open at the Ford Theater from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. This event will feature local artists in a variety of mediums, including sculpting, painting, photography and more.

The Minter Field Air Museum will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to tour their many exhibits. They have artifacts and memorabilia from every U.S. military conflict, as well as an exhibit of Shafter's rich aviation history.

The Shafter Depot Museum will also be open for tours. The museum tells the story of the city, with a focus on its agriculatural history.

Also on Feb. 23, there will be a corn hole tournament in the Church of Chris's parking lot, beginning at 1 p.m.

On Sunday, to close out the event, the Cans d' Arte exhibit at the Shafter Depot Museum will be open, as well as the Art Gallery at the Ford Theater. There also will be a Meet the Artists and Wine Tasting at the Ford Theater from 3:30 to 5 p.m.